


What Lies Beyond

by Cyrokin



Series: The Hollow Beyond [2]
Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandoned space complex, Alternate Continuity (post season 1), Character Development, Darker than its predecessor, Lost Memories, Multi, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Sequel, What happened to everyone, unreliable narrators
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-08-29 01:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16734270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyrokin/pseuds/Cyrokin
Summary: -Sequel to "Post Hollow Syndrome"-A new realm of confusion meets Adam, Mira and Kai as they awaken in an environment they do not recognize--- yet feel as if they should. They are alone again, their only company the machines surrounding them and their memories of the ordinary world they've just left.Is this the real world? Because if it is, they would rather have remained digital forever.(Tags will update as more chapters are added to avoid spoilers)--UPDATE NOTES: Writing Break officially over. My brain is refreshed and I hope to start making progress again.--





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to wait till December, but I just couldn't wait to post this any longer!
> 
> Well, it's official. Everything I write turns into a science fiction story. Can you really blame me? Sci-fi is my home turf and there's just enough technological hints in this series that get me to put on my theorizing hat and say "what the heck, let's run with this whole sci-fi aspect and see where it takes us."
> 
> I played with it a little in "Syndrome". Now it's time to go full throttle into this mess. I've gotten my feet wet in writing these characters and now I want to throw them somewhere I can have a little more fun, now that I've absorbed their personalities enough to be able to write them without continuously watching the series over and over.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I was floating in the cosmos_   
>  _Empty and hollow_   
>  _I was floating in the cosmos_   
>  _Waiting to come to life_
> 
>  
> 
> Soul Extract- "Cryosleep"  
> (Added 3/25/19)

At first, it was dark. Then a steady _beep, beep, beep_ filled Adam's head. Slowly, he became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on a bed, on his back--- had he been dreaming again? His eyes slid open. Though his vision was fuzzy, he could tell that he was most definitely _not_ in his bedroom. He blinked over and over to clear his sight. A glass shield above his body obscured the ceiling above him. _Cold_. He was cold.

With a sudden _whoosh_ , the glass above him began to open. Adam breathed a sigh of relief--- he was in no shape to bust out of that thing. He felt like a heap of spaghetti noodles. With a grunt of effort, Adam attempted to sit up. His limbs shook, but he managed to lift himself from the stiff pillow. He took a series of deep breaths. His muscles had become atrophic--- as if he had been lying asleep for months.

He turned to his left, where he saw two other pods like the one he was in himself. Mira and Kai were here with him, both stirring to consciousness. Adam smiled. They had all made it!

"You guys OK?" Adam asked as Mira sat up.

She brushed her bangs from her face and gave Adam a nod. "I guess so. Weak, but... I'm OK."

Kai heaved himself up with a loud "WHOAH!" He stretched his arms out in front of him and wiggled his fingers. "Everything's all here. Good." He gave Adam a thumbs up. "I'm good. We made it!" He looked around the room, excitement fading to confusion. "Wherever we are."

"You mean you don't know?" Adam asked.

"No!"

"It's _your_ program. I thought you said you'd used it before."

"I have!" Kai hissed. He'd gone into full freak-out mode. "And _this_ isn't it!"

"Must have been that password we entered," said Mira.

"Probably," said Kai. He slumped and began muttering self-depricating statements under his breath.

"Well, we have to be _somewhere_ useful," said Mira. "The password activated _something_."

Adam smelled something putrid waft up into his nose. He pinched the collar of his shirt and gave it a sniff. _Yuck_. "Some program," he muttered. "Spawned us in filthy clothes."

"Well then let's look for some clean ones!" Kai exclaimed. He hopped out of the pod and promptly fell to the floor. "Oof! Legs... gave out..."

"Maybe we should take it slow, Kai," said Mira, though a smile tugged at her lip.

Kai was splayed out on the floor like a washed-up jellyfish. He slowly pushed himself back up into a sitting position. "Yeah... don't think I have a choice."

Adam lowered himself onto the floor and took a few cautious steps toward the open space. He gripped the edge of the bed as he walked. Once he felt comfortable on his feet again, he stepped away from the pod and stood by himself. A massive yawn escaped his mouth. "I feel like I just woke up from the longest nap ever taken," he said.

"Me too," said Mira, who had also steadied herself outside the pod, though she hadn't attempted to walk yet.

Kai hadn't even gotten to his feet yet. "Me three," he groaned. "And I always wake up hungry after a long nap. Think maybe they're hiding any snacks in here?"

"They'd better," sighed Mira. "If they're gonna program us weak and hungry it'd be _cruel_ not to have any food around."

Adam had located what appeared to be a closet and had begun to make his way toward it. He was growing more confident the longer he walked. "We can try looking for food once we've changed out of these clothes and gotten used to walking again," he said.

Kai hauled himself up onto shaky legs, taking deep breaths. "I gotta get used to _standing_ again first," he said. He gripped the side of the pod and tried to take a step forward. "My legs... have never been... that strong anyway," he grunted between steps.

"Just get going. You'll get there eventually," Adam encouraged him. He had now achieved a steady walking pace.

Kai tried standing on his own--- and succeeded. He huffed. "There. See? I can do it too---" But when he took a step forward he lost his balance and collapsed onto his back with a loud moan.

Adam strode over to Kai and held out his hand. "Dude. You OK?"

Kai managed to sit up again. He glared up at Adam but took his friend's helping hand anyway. "Show-off," he muttered softly.

Adam patted Kai's shoulder. "Keep working on it," he told the redhead before heading back toward the closet. "How's it going, Mira?"

By now, Mira had taken some steady steps away from the bed, arms spread apart to aid balance. "I'm getting there," she said.

"Good." He turned the knob on the closet door. Thankfully, it was unlocked. And thankfully, there were clean clothes inside. Adam frowned. "Good news is there's clean clothes." He pulled out one of the outfits. "Bad news, it's the same dull grey shirt and sweats we're wearing now."

" _All_ of them?" Mira asked incredulously.

" _All_ of them," echoed Adam.

"What did you _expect_ , your own wardrobe?" Kai asked. "It's a _diagnostic_ program. It's hardly the Hollow's level of scanatar production." He took an uneasy step forward, still clutching the pod.

"I'd expect at least _some_ variety," Adam said. "Yeah, there's some size variation, but I'd at least expect some differences in color or style. I'd take plain white over this pale grey any day."

"The sweats are comfortable anyhow," said Mira.

Kai had at last managed to get a reasonable walk going--- though it was more of a stiff shuffle than anything. "Yeah," he agreed. "I'd rather be teaching myself how to walk again in these than I would jeans. Besides, the clothes match the environment."

Kai was correct--- the entire room was made up of shades of grey. About the brightest things in the room were Mira's attitude and Kai's hair, Adam observed. "How is this program supposed to work anyway, Kai?"

"See, that's the thing." Kai shuffled next to Adam and leaned against the wall. "It's supposed to have looked something like that basic classroom setting we were in before I entered the password. You're just supposed to sit in the room after you've keyed in the error code and answer more specific questions about whatever's bugging your game. I didn't know _nothing_ about this room."

Mira stopped beside her two friends and shrugged. "Easter egg?"

Adam shook his head. "Pretty complex for an Easter egg."

"Pretty complex for a basic _diagnostic program_ ," Kai emphasized. "This is the sort of detail I'd expect from a hologame with _way_ too much effort put into the graphics. I mean check it out!" He pointed at Mira. "I don't see any errors in your hair _at all_."

Mira brushed a loose bang from her surprised face. "Um... Thanks."

Kai blinked in realization. "Oh! No, I didn't mean it _that_ way... not that I _don't_ think you have nice hair but... _crap_." He dug his fingers through his unkempt hair, freckled cheeks tinged pink. "I meant it in a graphics sense. Even all these years into computer graphics, long hair is still really hard to animate correctly."

"I see," said Mira. She seemed amused with the younger teen's awkward rambling, a smile on her face regardless of the fact that Kai had more or less taken back a compliment.

"All right, everyone." Adam tossed both of the others a t-shirt, sweatpants, basic white tennis shoes, and some clean socks. "Let's get changed into these and see exactly where we are."

"And find food," Kai reminded him.

"That too."

Mira took her outfit over to her pod. "Nobody look," she ordered, getting down on her knees to shield herself from their view.

"Will do," Adam answered. Kai said nothing. Adam glanced toward the younger teen, who was clearly trying to look. When he noticed Adam's unamused glare, he chuckled nervously. Adam motioned toward the closet with his thumb.

Kai shuffled his way into the closet and closed the door behind him, muttering.

After they had all gotten dressed, Mira called to the boys. "Adam. Kai. Come over here. I think I may know what's going on."

Adam jogged to where Mira stood. "What is it?"

Kai hopped over on one leg, still struggling to get one of his shoes onto his foot. " _Please_ tell me you found a way back to the main menu," he said.

Mira shook her head. "No such luck," she said. "Check it out--- the pods are plugged into this machine here."

Adam ran his fingers over the surface of the machine. It was a large metal box with slots that connected the pods to it--- though they appeared to be disengaged from the system at the moment. An LED screen was positioned above each of the pods, along with a keypad and some adjustment buttons--- possibly what controlled the settings inside the pods. At the top of the box was a name and a description:

**ENGAGE  
** INDUSTRIAL-GRADE VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR  
Version no. 3.33 

"Three thirty-three," Adam whispered. "It's that _number_ again."

"Do you get it, Adam?" asked Mira. Her voice shook. "We were hooked up to that thing. Think about it. How _realistic_ everything looks here? How weak we were after waking up? How our clothes smelled like we'd been wearing them for _ages?_ "

Adam and Kai waited for her conclusion, their breath caught in their throats. They knew where she was going with this.

Mira let out a shuddery breath. "What if... what if our lives, our families... _everything_ is inside that box? What if..." She swallowed a lump in her throat. "What if... _this_... is real life?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this seems interesting. I'm getting into my home terrain with this and I hope it'll show in the narrative.
> 
> I have big plans for this. Please keep me motivated enough to keep writing it, ha ha!
> 
> -Cy


	2. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The end of waiting, the end to mystery_   
>  _The holographic portrait_   
>  _The river's faded, the stars will sleep with me_   
>  _We only wanted to feel this_   
>  _Frail machine_   
>  _The end of feeling, now with a whisper, gone_
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> "Fragile Machine" by Every Hour Kills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, here's an update! And Happy New Year too.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who left feedback on the first chapter. It means a lot to me when you take time out of your day to not only read something I've written, but to tell me how you felt about it. It makes the time spent on writing this feel worth it. :)

_**Day 1** _

\---

Adam's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"It makes sense!" declared Mira.

Adam shook his head. _Real life?_ But... he didn't recognize this place. _At all_. If this was real life, shouldn't he be getting his memories back by now? But if she was right and this _was_ real life, well... "I can't accept that."

"I don't like the thought either," said Mira, a disturbed glint in her eyes. "But I can't help but feel like it's true. My whole _life_ already feels like a _dream_."

Both teens looked at Kai to see what he would say. He was silent, lost in thought. Then he noticed his friends staring at him. "What are you looking at _me_ for?" he snapped. "I'm just as confused as you guys."

Adam crossed his arms. "Well, we _did_ run---"

" _My_ program. I know." Kai groaned. "I wish I knew what was going on; really, I do. I mean... this _could_ be real life. It _could_ be another virtual world. But I _don't know_ and it's not a part of that program _I've_ ever heard about."

Adam sighed. "Well... wherever or... _whatever reality_ we are, I think we should get a handle on our surroundings," he announced. "The sooner we find out where we are, the better." He turned and marched toward the door. Like the closet, it was unlocked. He cautiously edged it open and poked his head through the gap.

An empty hallway stretched across the way, with no visible end on either side. The walls were a dull grey, and the air had a metallic flavor to it. The corridor was spacious and well-lit--- meant for frequent traffic, Adam realized. He gave the door a nudge and let it open further as Mira and Kai approached. He stepped aside. "Take a look."

His two friends stood in the doorway and looked from side to side. "Where do you think we are?" asked Kai. 

"Some sort of complex, looks like," Mira replied. "Let's look and see." She stepped out of the room, each footfall resonating with a quiet metallic "thmp". Adam joined Kai in the doorway to watch. She wandered down the left side of the corridor. She paused and strained her neck to get a look around the blind curve. "There's more doors this way," she announced.

Adam and Kai approached cautiously. "Anyone down there?" Adam asked.

Mira began to turn the knob of one door. "Don't see anyone." She pushed the door open and peered inside. "There's nobody in here either."

Adam stopped behind her and took a peek for himself. It looked exactly like the room they had just left--- only it was empty. He felt the smallest pinch of unease. "Let's go down further," he suggested. If this place was as big as it seemed, there was bound to be someone _somewhere._

The teens continued down the corridor. They found not only other doors, but more intersecting passageways that were full of _even more doors_. This whole place was starting to look more and more like an impossible maze. Adam kept a mental note of the direction the door numbers were counting so they could find their way back to their room. He didn't know why he felt the need to consider one of many interchangeable rooms their home base, but it was as good as any at this point.

"Wow. Just how big _is_ this place?" Kai asked aloud.

"That's anyone's guess," Adam murmured in response.

Kai gasped. "Oh wait, hold on!" The other two paused and turned to look at him. The redhead appeared to be thinking intensely about something, his brow scrunched and his fingers pressed to his temple. "Need to find some... oh, what's the word... Scheme... Stem... Schematics! That's it! We've gotta find some schematics!" Kai dashed ahead of his friends with purpose. Mira and Adam followed.

Mira called after him. "Where are you going, Kai? We don't even know where a schematic is!"

"I have a hunch!" Kai replied.

They ran until Kai skidded to a halt in front of an indented section of wall. Built into the wall was a screen. Kai smiled and turned to face his friends as they stopped beside him. "I saw a few of these things along the way," he announced, breathless. He started to feel around for a power button. "I was hoping we could see if there's any information about where we are or what this place is. If there's screens, there's gotta be computers, right? And where there's computers, there's gotta be info." He huffed. "If I can find a power switch somewhere..."

Mira leaned in and tapped the screen with one finger. It activated. Kai drooped, embarrassed. "Of _course_ it's touch-activated," he grumbled to himself.

The screen showed a white background with a light blue text logo in the center: **AARC**. Text reading "swipe to enter" flashed softly below the logo.

"Aarc?" Adam wondered aloud. "What does _that_ stand for?"

Kai swiped the screen. "Let's find out." The screen morphed into a menu. A series of four options presented themselves beneath the AARC logo: Floor Info, Floor Map, Patient Info, AARC Helpline.

"Try 'Floor Map'," said Adam.

Kai did so, but not without an irked glance sent in Adam's direction. The teens looked up at the screen as a map appeared. Adam leaned in closer.

"Pretty good hunch, huh?" Kai asked.

Adam ignored the proud remark. There was a red dot in one hall which indicated their current location--- in the middle of a tangle of halls spotted with rooms--- nothing they hadn't already seen over the past twenty minutes. "Try widening the visible area."

Kai tried--- he dragged his finger across the screen in any direction he could, growing more frustrated every second he failed to change the display. "Ugh! I can't get it to show any more."

"Go back and try 'Floor Info' then," said Adam. "There's bound to be a list of rooms there. See if you can find some sort of main office or control center."

Meanwhile Mira had been standing back, arms folded, sending the occasional glance over her shoulder. Now she stood with with her head turned back, focused on something. "Adam? Kai? Did either of you guys hear that?"

Adam turned his head. Dead silence. "Hear what?"

"Those shuddering, groany noises. They're gone now, but I _swear_ I heard them."

"Probably vents or pipes," said Kai, who still faced the screen. He was scrolling down a list. "There's all these rooms, but there's no main control area or directions to _any_ of these places." He turned to his friends and pointed at the screen. "On the bright side, at least there's a kitchen mentioned."

"Thank goodness," Mira breathed.

"Even better, there's bathrooms!" Kai exclaimed. A look of horror then crossed his face. "Wait... if we were in those... pods or whatever for however long it takes for us to forget how to walk... how did we go to the bathroom?"

Of course that would be the most burning question on Kai's mind. Although, Adam had to admit, it _was_ a good question. They obviously hadn't eaten or gone to the toilet at any point while in those pods, yet they all seemed to be healthy besides the initial footing problem. They had been in there for a while, no doubt--- that is, if any of this was even real. "I'm... still not willing to discount the possibility of this still being some hologame. _However_ we ended up here."

"Believe me, I _hope_ it's a hologame," said Mira. "I _really do hope_ it's not real. I can't explain it, but... something inside me just tells me that it is."

Kai had returned to the map screen to once more attempt to get it to load further paths. "I believe you, Mira," he said. "There's _no way_ all this is in my _basic diagnostic program_." He flusteredly swiped at the screen, to no avail.

"I _know_ , but..." The sense of unease rose in Adam once again. He sighed. "C'mon guys." This was all too real for comfort. Too... _familiar_. It was like the Hollow all over again, only more perplexing. "Kai, we can try the map later. I want to find that kitchen. We'll all feel better once we've eaten something."

Kai grunted in frustration and swiped back to the main menu. " _Great!_ If only we knew our way to the kitchen," he steamed.

"We'll find it," Mira assured him. "Where there's a _will_..."

"There's a way. I know." He paced closer to Mira and Adam, clasping his chin with one hand. "Now. If I were a kitchen, where would I be?"

Adam turned away with a subtle but affectionate roll of his eyes. "Let's just keep walking," he suggested. "We're bound to run into it eventually." He forged ahead in the direction they had been going.

"Adam, wait," Mira spoke. Adam stopped and turned to face her. There was a spark of excited inspiration in her eye. "One of those B hallways we passed a while back, close to where we started. It had less rooms. And bigger doors."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Let's just say I have a hunch too." She gestured for the boys to follow her and turned back to go the way they came. Together they fast-walked through the endless string of doors and secondary hallways. Adam was sure to count down the room numbers again, just to make sure Mira was leading them the right way. But as usual, her sense of direction was impeccable, and the teens were soon drawing close to their starting point.

Just as Adam observed this, Mira drew to a halt in front of one secondary corridor. "This is it." With no hesitation, she strode inside. Adam and Kai followed. Mira paused in front of the first door. She let out an excited gasp and stepped inside. Adam could feel his heart beat faster as he picked his pace up to a jog. Could she have found it?

His heart leaped as he peered into the open doorway. Inside was what appeared to be some sort of food prep area--- and there was an entire wall lined with some form of compartmentalized food storage system. _Yes!_ "Mira, you're amazing!" he blurted.

Mira sent him a pleasantly surprised smile. "Thanks! I mean, it was only a _guess_ , but..."

"I wonder if this food's any good?" Adam wondered aloud.

Kai skidded to a stop beside Adam. "Mira, did we actually _find_ it?" He looked at her first, then at the compartment wall. Then he locked up. Kai's pupils dilated at the sight of the compartments full of fruits, vegetables, and nuts before him. " _Food_ ," he said. He made a beeline toward the shelves, resembling a zombie in dire pursuit of brains. Adam grabbed his friend's arm before he got too far. "Hey! Leggo!" Kai snapped.

"Kai, hold on a minute. We don't know if it's safe."

"Well we'll never know if we don't try!" Kai insisted. He shoved Adam's arm away with surprising force. "Besides..." His tone softened. "I'm the most expendable of us anyway."

Mira gasped. "Kai, don't _say_ things like that!"

Kai slumped, upset from her words. "Sorry," he muttered. "I think it's this place. Something about it." His eyes turned distant.

Mira sighed. She turned back toward the storage compartments. "I'll try it."

"Mira!" Adam exclaimed.

"Kai's right. _Someone_ has to find out if it's safe to eat," said Mira. "I led us here. I should be the one to do it."

"Maybe there's another way," Adam suggested. "Like... an expiration date or something."

"If there was, it wouldn't be helpful anyway," said Kai. "We don't know how long we were in that machine but it might not have been _that_ long. I say one of us goes for it." He paused. "Fifty-fifty chance of living, right?"

Mira nodded. "It's better chances than starvation."

Adam knew his friends were right. If the food was safe to eat, it could sustain them all for a while. If it was bad, their quicker death would still be preferable to a long, slow, pitiful death from starvation. He may not have known whether this place was real or not, but he thought it best to treat the situation with as much consideration as possible.

"OK." He squared his shoulders and marched toward one container of apples. "But _I'll_ be the one to try it." He pulled a lever beside one compartment. The drawer unlocked with a click.

"Adam, wait!"

"You're not stopping me, Mira," said Adam. He opened the compartment drawer.

"Let's all do it together."

Adam hesitated.

"Each other is all we've got now," Mira told him. "If we go through with this, we should all do it together."

"Yeah," Kai agreed.

Adam sighed. "All right." He grabbed three apples and tossed one to each of his companions. "Together."

And they all took a bite.

It tasted... fresh. It was a bit cold, but it tasted fine. Almost _too_ fine for Adam--- He was automatically suspicious of anything that seemed perfect. But even he had to admit it was better than aged, rotten food.

"Seems harmless enough," Mira remarked, taking another bite.

Adam was going to ask Kai what he thought, but the redhead's enthusiastic munching told him all he needed to know. He chuckled. "Slow down, Kai. It's not as if it's going to run away if you stop to chew."

Kai mumbled a response, unable to speak around the apple.

Mira laughed. "Kai! You look like a chipmunk!"

Kai scrunched his eyebrows. He finished chewing, swallowed, and immediately started talking. "I can't help it! This is the best apple I've ever tasted!" He crunched into it again.

Mira turned to Adam. "He is kinda right. This _is_ a good apple."

"Yeah," Adam agreed without enthusiasm. That nagging concern of _this was too perfect_ rose again in his mind, and this time, he couldn't choke it back down. He forced down the bite that was already in his mouth and stared at the partly-eaten fruit, no longer hungry. The uneasy feeling from before had settled into his stomach and stolen his appetite. How could this feel so real yet so... _wrong?_ This apple tasted fake. Even food in _the Hollow_ tasted more real than _this._

Disenchanted, he wandered away from his friends and took a quick tour around the kitchen. There was an island in the middle of the area where they now stood. An open doorway led to another section which contained various cooking supplies and appliances. There was an industrial stove, a large sink, and many more cabinets and shelves full of dishes and silverware. It seemed to be a place where many had their meals prepared for them.

"So where _are_ they?" he whispered to himself.

Mira overheard him. "Where are what, Adam?"

Adam turned back around to face her. "Where are the people?" He threw his arms outward. "There's all this space. All these rooms, all this food storage, all these appliances. And the only people here are the three of us." He plunked his apple onto the center island. "Nothing about this makes _any sense._ "

There was silence from both Kai and Mira for a few moments. Adam paced around the island to rejoin them. "I don't know what to make of _any_ of it," he admitted softly.

"Maybe there was some big disaster and everyone ran away," suggested Kai.

"Everything looks fine to me," Adam replied. "I mean, we're all alive and breathing. The lights and food storage are both working. Obviously those pods _had_ to have been working. I'd think if there had been some big disaster, then things would look a lot worse around here."

"But that's what makes it so _mysterious!_ " squeaked Kai, his electric blue eyes wide. He took an excited bite of his apple.

The younger teen's almost _enthusiastic_ tone sent a wave of irritation through Adam's gut. He frowned. "This is _serious_ , Kai."

"I _am_ taking it seriously," Kai snapped back. "I just said it was mysterious. Besides, if you still think we're in another _video game_ , why does it even _matter_ to you?"

"Guys, cut it out," interrupted Mira, her brow furrowed. "We don't want to start all _that_ again." She sighed and faced Adam, her silvery green eyes melting into his. "We're _all_ confused. Let's just all try to get _along_ while we're still figuring this out. _Together_ , remember?"

Adam swallowed as he pondered what she'd said. He nodded. "Right. Together."

Mira turned to Kai. "Right, Kai?"

Kai sent a final glare in Adam's direction before he at last sighed and capitulated. "Ugh. Right." He took a final bite of his apple while sending a snarky but good-natured glare toward his friend. Adam grunted, but said nothing. It was just typical Kai behavior. Why should the redhead's antics even bother him anymore?

Mira let out a sigh of relief. "So it's just the three of us," she stated.

A dry smile worked its way onto Adam's face. "Just like old times."

"Yeah." She drummed her fingernails on the center island. "So I guess all we can do right now is get comfortable and learn as we go."

At that moment, the lights dimmed in the hall outside. Adam and Mira both turned around to look at Kai, who had Adam's unwanted apple crammed partways into his mouth. He froze and gave them a deer-in-the-headlights stare, then raised his hands in surrender. "It wasn't me!" he squeaked.

A familiar voice crackled to life over the intercom. "Attention AARC guests! The time is now 9:00 PM and the hall lights will be completely out in just thirty minutes! So, if you're not already there, head back down to your rooms. Thank you!" It cut off.

Mira laughed. "Oh my gosh. Was that _Weirdy?_ "

"Sounded like him," agreed Adam with an amused smile.

"At least we know _he's_ real," said Mira. Her smile shifted into a thoughtful frown. "He's not here though, is he? That sounded like a _recording._ "

"Wait a minute! We got here like, an hour ago, right?" Kai questioned. "It was eight in the morning when we showed up here. It's like, the _exact opposite_ half of the day here."

Mira yawned. "Well, I'm tired. If it's bed time, I'll take it."

Adam didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling tired as well. Tired and stressed. All he wanted to do was fall asleep and hope he woke up in his own bedroom come morning. Maybe this was all some fever dream. _Unlikely_ , he knew. "Well, c'mon guys. Let's go. Don't want to be left out in the dark."

_Anymore than we already are._

\---

Adam had been tired before they'd all gone to bed. But the moment his head hit the pillow, his brain kicked into high gear. Adam found himself lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. Thoughts of this place. This situation. Whether or not this was real life or yet another elaborate computer hoax. To tell the truth, he was still waiting for Kai's mom to rip off the VR equipment at any moment. This place was weird. Everything felt more real than before, yet it also seemed... _artificial_ , somehow. Like everything was set up for a purpose. He didn't care how real it felt--- in his eyes, this looked like a game. Too many things didn't add up.

All he wanted to do was sleep, but the thoughts kept him awake. And the fact that these pods made it impossible to comfortably lie in any position but face-up wasn't helpful either. Adam had always been a side-sleeper, and lying on his back made him want to do nothing more than to turn to either side, shift his legs around--- _anything_ that wasn't the stiff position the pod forced him to take!

At last, he bolted up in frustration. He squinted across the room to his friends, both sound asleep. Mira's head was turned to the side, her hands folded over her torso. Kai's legs were draped atop the end of his pod, arms folded behind his neck, his head barely touching the pillow. He was snoring softly. _Peacefully_. Adam wondered if they were dreaming.

He jumped when he heard a metallic creaking noise from somewhere far below--- faint, but _there_. Adam recalled what Mira had said earlier--- that she'd heard a similar noise. And it was so far below that... oh. That meant that this place, as big as it was, had to have _multiple floors_. He groaned softly and flumped back onto his pillow. They had a long day ahead of them. He needed proper rest if he hoped to take it on well, with the grace and confidence his friends expected of him.

_We've faced a strange, unknown situation before_ , he thought, slipping his eyes shut. _And we got through it_. He only hoped they would be able to do the same this time around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm warning y'all now... I don't have an outline for this, nor do I plan to make one. This one wants to be pantsed. My method for it is "write until I feel like the chapter should end." All the scenes I've written have come out of in-the-moment ideas and I think I'll get better results this way. I do have ideas for where to steer this now, but not where to place those events in the story. Updates far between. I'll try to make myself do once a month but no guarantees!
> 
> Thanks for reading. :) And see you next year with another chapter.
> 
> -Cy


	3. The Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tell me thus what lies beyond the borders of this peaceful place._   
>  _Only ancient evil which you, child, are not ready to face_   
>  _Elusive, deceiving. Don't trust what lies beyond._
> 
> "What Lies Beyond" by Pyramaze (this story's namesake that has utterly nothing to do with the plot but I had to include the lyrics... lol)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So--- after a two-and-a-half month long hiatus, I'm back with a new chapter. I've received so much positive feedback on this and it looks like people really like it. Thanks so much! It's because of you guys that I was able to push through and keep on writing this through the dark times of writer's slog.
> 
> This is... another setup chapter. Yes, it builds on the last chapter but it's still setting things up. Sorry if you're disappointed by another setup chapter. ^_^; Patience. Patience is good. You will need patience. I NEED PATIENCE!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter. XD

_**Day 2** _

\---

Adam awoke to the chilly greeting of a cold room and the hardness of his mattress and pillow, which weren't much warmer than the air. The discomfort reminded him before he even opened his eyes: _He was still here. This was still happening._ He opened his eyes and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Mira and Kai were already awake. They'd been talking in the corner of the room nearest the end of his bed. Both turned when Adam rose.

Mira welcomed him awake with a cheeky smirk. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Adam sighed softly. "Morning."

Kai tossed him an apple. Adam scrambled to catch it, not quite awake enough to have seen it coming. "We got you breakfast," Kai announced.

Adam frowned at the unwelcome fruit, unimpressed. "Couldn't you have gotten a banana?"

"If we'd known you wanted one, we would've," said Mira. "But you were asleep when we went over there. We didn't want to wake you."

"You should've," grunted Adam as he dropped onto his feet. "We could've gotten started sooner."

"We were gonna have to stop to eat regardless," sighed Mira. She took a few steps toward him and leaned forward onto the edge of his pod. "So, what's the plan today? I'm going to guess... more exploration."

"Yeah," Adam confirmed. He took a bite of the apple, finding it as suspiciously sweet as before, though not as offensive as it had been that previous night. He figured he'd be able to stomach it. "We'll make a day of it."

"Good thing I brought extras for the road," declared Kai. He pulled a pair of apples from each of his pockets.

Adam nodded. "Good idea, Kai. I was planning on checking out the other floors in this place. There may not be food on the other levels."

"Other floors?" Kai's tone was incredulous, though his face looked more intrigued than skeptical. "What gave you the idea there were other floors? Is that a hunch?"

"Call it an... educated guess," Adam replied.

"Um, we haven't even been here that long," said Kai. "We know nothing about this place. How can you make any sort of _educated_ anything?"

"I've seen enough," clipped Adam. "That computer yesterday said 'floor,' remember? And Mira---" He looked at her. "Those noises you heard in the hall yesterday? I heard 'em too. You guys were both asleep at the time. Sounded like they came from _way down_ below us."

"We heard them in the kitchen, too," said Mira. "Now that I think about it, they _did_ sound pretty low down."

"Yeah," Kai confirmed. "Maybe there's a basement."

"Well. We'd better find it quick," said Adam. "I want to get done and out of here as soon as possible."

"How do we know we'll do that through finding the basement?" asked Mira.

Adam bit into his apple. "We don't."

\---

After Adam finished his breakfast, the three set out into the unknown once again, this time in the opposite direction. The halls were as long and dull as before, stretched out before Adam as if trying to challenge him. And though he hated to admit it, it _was_ rather intimidating. Who knew how many floors were identical to this one? How many would they have to explore before they found something even remotely different?

It was a daunting task for certain.

"Wow. Sure are a lot of doors this way too," Kai remarked with a nervous edge. "What if we pass up the stairs?"

"It'll probably be labeled, Kai," said Mira. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm _hoping_ we'll find an elevator," said Adam. "That should make our job easier."

"Our _job?_ " Adam could picture Mira's eyebrows scrunching. "We're just exploring. No rush."

A surge of annoyance shot through Adam. "The _sooner_ we know where we are, the better," he stated.

"So you've said," said Mira.

The trio moved on in relative silence. At last, one divergent hallway led to two separate doors: A stairwell on one side and an elevator on the other.

"Yes!" exclaimed Kai. He approached the elevator first and pressed the button. It didn't light up, so Kai pressed it again. Then a third time--- still nothing. He frowned. "Great. It's broken."

"Let me see," said Adam. He stepped in front of the elevator and stood in silence for a few seconds. Then he pressed the button again--- harder and longer than Kai had pressed it. No indication the cab was coming. He pressed his ear against the door and listened carefully for any sign of movement within the shaft. _Ear-splitting silence_. He sighed and turned back to face his friends. "It's dead all right. We'll have to take the stairs." He marched over to the stairwell door.

"Huh. _That_ is weird," said Mira, following. "Everything else is working."

"It's just one elevator, so no biggie," said Kai. "I'll bet there's another one around here somewhere."

"Well, we don't need to look for it now." Adam opened the door with a jarring _creak_ and pulled it open as far as it could go. He kicked down the doorstop. "We've got what we need right here."

The teens entered the stairwell and took a look around. Both above and below, to Adam's relief and frustration, were long, tall sets of stairs. Neither the top nor the bottom were visible, even when he peeked over the railing to get a sense of how high up they were. So, he estimated, they had to be somewhere in the middle.

"Oh _man_ ," groaned Kai, staring upward.

Adam squared his shoulders. "Well, which way, team? We've got to start somewhere."

"Let's go up," said Kai. He approached the ascending case.

"Umm, I thought we'd already decided we were going _down_ ," said Mira.

"That was before we knew there was an _up_ ," said Kai. His hand was already on the railing. "Besides, we'll find what we're looking for up there." His eyebrows shot up as if even _he_ didn't quite know why he'd made such a declaration.

Mira quirked an eyebrow. "How could you _possibly_ know that?"

Kai giggled nervously and clutched his arm. "Dunno. The thought just sort of... happened. Hunch?"

"We can't be right about so many hunches," muttered Adam. He scoffed. "All of this feels _wrong_."

" _Tch_. Big surprise there," said Kai. "You _always_ think everything feels wrong." He began to climb the stairs.

Adam followed. "I'm just saying. This feels too much like the setup to some kind of game."

"Well it's not any game _I_ own," said Kai. "We got here through _my_ hologame equipment, remember? I think I'd remember loading this, don't you?"

"Just _hear me out_ , OK?" Adam stressed. "Everything just seems... _set up_. Like it was waiting for us to find it. Like it was put there for a reason."

Mira chortled as she joined the boys on the stairs. "OK. _Now_ you're just paranoid," she said.

Adam grunted. Of course this would be their reaction. He'd have expected nothing less. "Just _look_. We're all perfectly healthy even though we were probably in those pods for _weeks_. And the clothes in the closet just _happened_ to fit us. And the food just _happens_ to be edible. Not to mention it tastes fake."

"It's _weird_ , I'll admit," said Kai, now turning onto the second flight of stairs. "But if there's one thing about this place that I'm actually, totally sure about, it's that _this can't be a game_." His tone was sharp with annoyance. "You saw our scanatars in the classroom. We're _way_ too detailed, like I've already said."

Adam growled. "At least _consider_ it."

"I have!" snapped Kai. "It's a load of crap."

"Adam, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for _everything_ ," Mira said. "Just try to relax. _Pretend_ this is real if it'll help. But it _won't_ help to argue about it."

Her tone was not scathing like Kai's, but Adam still felt patronized. This... _had_ to be a game, right? He could remember his life from start to current, and _this place_ wasn't anywhere in those memories. Surely he hadn't been born and raised in that machine. He refused to accept that. Besides, if his entire past was in in _there_ and his "real" life was out _here_ , how did he have a body out here in the first place? There had to be a better explanation.

Kai peered through the door window to the next floor. "Looks just like our floor. I say we keep going."

Adam nudged Kai aside and took a look himself. He pushed the door open and took a look around. Kai was right--- it looked identical to the hall they'd just left. "Let's check it anyway," he said. Pointless? Maybe. But Adam didn't want to miss anything that could be a clue to getting out of this strange place and back to the _real_ world.

He entered the floor and turned the corner into the hall. It was indeed identical to the one they'd just left--- dull walls, metallic sound to the floor. Endless rows of doors on either side of the endless corridor. No signs of life as far as he could see. Kai stopped beside him. "See? Nothing new here. Just the same old doors." He turned to go back to the stairs.

Mira caught him by the shoulder. "Kai, what about those computers?" She pointed to one of the screens in the hall.

Kai perked up. "Ooh! Yeah! I'll bet we won't even have to check everywhere on foot." He dashed to the screen and activated it. "If there's something different, it'll say so."

Adam folded his arms and slowly approached Kai. "We should check out the major landmarks on each floor, whether the rooms say anything's different or not," he said. Kai snorted in response. "I promise we won't check every room."

"OK. Deal," said Kai. He scrolled down the room list. "But like I said, this floor is exactly like ours. Just with different room numbers."

"Easier to navigate," said Adam. He started to walk down the hall. "Let's go."

\---

The process of floor-checking was long, slow, and tedious, even with the information kiosks providing a cheat. Hour after hour passed the three by without much, if any difference from floor to floor. They had to have checked around seven floors before they came across something new. The floor had looked just like the others upon entrance. But when Kai pulled up the Floor Info list, he had to do a double take when a new room appeared.

"Lookout deck?"

Mira gasped. "Maybe we've reached the surface!" she said.

Assuming they were underground to begin with, Adam mused. "I hope so. Let's find this place and figure out where we are."

The halls were, at first, identical to all the others. They passed by the familiar sights of countless doors and intersecting hallways. Some twenty minutes past the kitchen corridor, the hall broadened. It expanded into a sort of a lobby, complete with furniture. Most noticeably, however, was the massive five-panel window that stretched out across nearly the whole wall on the furthest side of the lobby. Before the window was a set of stairs that led down into a hollow, where a row of comfy benches stood.

This was it. This was the place they had been looking for. But the sky outside was pitch black and flurried with tiny diamonds.

Mira's jaw dropped. "No... way." She ran down to the windows and peered out into the starry blackness. A bark of unsure laughter escaped her throat. "We are!" She turned back to face the approaching boys, her eyes wide. "Guys... we're in _space!_ "

Adam's heart dropped as he stared into the vast expanse spread before his eyes. There was no ground, no physical matter as far as he could see. Just a starfield that spanned the entire window and beyond. It was no screen. It was no illusion. As far as his senses were concerned, this was a real window--- smooth and cold to the touch--- and those stars had to be _light years_ away. If he was right and this _was_ a game, the illusion was convincing. Perfect, even.

"How did we get into _space?_ " Kai asked, his nose pressed against the glass. He turned his frantic gaze to Adam. "Adam, why are we in space?"

Adam shook his head and returned his attention to the window. "I wish I knew, Kai."

They stood in awesome silence for a few moments, drinking in the sight of all those stars. Adam was convinced he'd never seen something as beautiful... nor felt something as lonely. If this was it... if this place was all there _was_ here... if there was nobody else here after all...

Mira made a choking noise and fell to her knees. Concerned, both Adam and Kai turned to her. She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders jerked with another sob. "How far _out_ are we?" she cried, voice strained. She sniffed. "I don't see the earth. Shouldn't we be able to see it? What if we're stuck here forever and we can't get back home?" She was full-on crying now.

Adam hurried to her side and knelt down. "Look, Mira... we _will_ get back home. Whether we're... in a game or in actual space. I promise." He lay a hesitant hand on her shoulder, but drew it back when she reacted to his touch.

"How long until then?" Mira asked. "Days? Weeks? _Months?_ "

"However long it takes," said Adam. "But we _will_ get there." _I hope_.

"Yeah," added Kai. "Besides, this all but _confirms_ there's a control room somewhere. Where there's a ship, there's gotta be a bridge." He hesitated. " _If_ this is a ship, anyway. But if we're not in orbit around Earth, this thing, or... whatever it is, _should_ be able to move."

Adam smiled, grateful for Kai's encouraging interjection. "See? All we need to do is find that control center and we'll be on our way home."

Mira sniffed again, then sighed. She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, guys. I just... I already miss my parents. I didn't even get to say goodbye... and we just ended up _here_ , and..." Her voice shook.

Adam reached out and planted his hand on Mira's shoulder again. This time, he held it firm. "I know," he said.

She brushed aside her loose bangs, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to break down like that."

"It's OK. You're stressed. We get it." Adam kept his tone gentle. "You need a break?"

"No... it's fine," said Mira. She took a deep breath and let it all go slowly. "I'll just walk it off."

"Well, _I_ could use a break," said Kai. "We've been walking all day and there's chairs in here. I'll take it." He sat down on one of the lookout benches.

Adam helped Mira to her feet. She was still visibly shaken, her eyes blank and face pale. He felt a deep twinge of concern for his friend. Yeah, she'd had breakdowns of that sort before, but they were few and far between. And none of them had ever affected her like _this_. She trembled beneath Adam's touch. Mira _never_ trembled like that.

Given the choice between taking a break and finding that control room, Adam would rather take the latter. But right now, his main concern was for his best friend. "You heard the man. We could _all_ use a rest."

Mira hesitated, then sighed. "All right." She headed over and sat beside Kai on the bench. "Just a quick break."

Adam turned to the window once more. He could see his face reflected in the glass. He leaned in closer to observe the painstaking detail put into his features, textures, and countless subtleties. Some details even he hadn't noticed before--- like that tiny, barely visible mole on his neck. He could see the individual pores on his skin, and the light sheen of sweat from all the walking and climbing they'd done. _So much detail_. Kai was right, Adam had to admit--- there was _no way_ that low-poly diagnosis program could be generating this amount of realism.

So what _was?_ What had happened between that blackout and now? Nothing, as far as he could remember. But what if something _had_ happened and their memories had been wiped? Had they been thrown into another game like before? Was this being televised too? And why erase everything but what happened before they entered that password? Adam clenched his fists. None of this made sense. He didn't want to believe this was reality, but that possibility no longer seemed any less likely than his "another game" theory.

Mira's voice interrupted Adam's thoughts. "Kai, can you hand me one of those apples?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure." He shifted to reach into his pockets. "Hey Adam, _you_ want an apple?"

"I'll pass," Adam declined. The thought of eating yet another one of those sickly sweet fruits made his stomach turn, regardless of how hungry he admittedly felt. Something about them just wasn't _right_...

Kai let out a displeased yelp. Adam turned. Kai's hands were dripping with a white, gooey substance and his pockets were both damp with the stuff. "The... the apples!" He looked back and forth between his friends, dumbstruck. "I think they melted!"

"A-HA!" Adam punched his palm. "I _knew_ those things were fake!"

"Yeah. No kidding," said Kai. He gave the glob of goo in his hand a few suspicious sniffs. "What even _is_ this stuff?"

"Um... Some synthetic food... material. I guess," said Mira. She grimaced when Kai took a great big lick of the stuff from his hand.

He stared back at her. "What? It's edible!" He licked his hand again. "It even still tastes like apple."

Adam had already gone into thought mode, chin clasped in his hand. "So. Synthetic food. Maybe those containers are like... food generators. Like replicators on Star Trek but with different execution..."

"Adam. You're mumbling again," said Mira.

He looked up. "Am I?"

Mira's lip quirked upward teasingly. "Only all the time."

"I just wonder why they melted," said Adam. "Maybe it needs to be kept cold or it starts to turn back into... well, _that_."

"Uh, hate to break it to you guys, but I really need to go back and change into some clean pants," said Kai. He shook the stuff off his hands. "And get a shower!"

Both Kai and Mira looked at Adam, awaiting his response. Adam couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. He would rather carry on and explore this place until the lights dimmed. But at the same time, he knew Kai couldn't go on covered in synthetic goo, and after Mira's concerning reaction...

"All right. We'll call it a day."

"What time is it anyway?" asked Kai.

The speaker in the room activated, and the weird guy's voice came through. "The time is now 2:36 in the afternoon."

"Whoah!" Kai exclaimed, standing up. "Voice interface! Do you think maybe he's an AI?"

Mira raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like it. But why is it... _his_ voice?"

"Maybe he's involved with this place somehow," said Kai.

"What if it's another one of his _games?_ " asked Adam, half to himself.

Kai huffed. "OK, Adam. I'll give you that one."

Adam trudged back up the steps. "We can think about it later," he said. "Let's get back to base."

The walk back to their home room was silent. Adam's head spun with everything they'd learned. He had been _so sure_ of himself when they'd started that day, but now... not so much. Realism beyond anything he'd seen in a hologame prior... located somewhere in outer space... Mira's concerning outburst. It was all a jumble in his mind, and Adam _hated_ jumbled thoughts.

At least they had a reasonable goal now. It didn't matter how confusing things got in the world around him. So long as Adam had a goal to grasp onto, he could stand firm. And that was all he could do now.

Find the control room. Find the answers. Get them all home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this felt a bit meandering. ^_^; So, bad news is I didn't really enjoy writing this chapter and I feel like that shows. The good news is I know exactly where I'm going with this fic and I've already begun to set up for a few key revelations later in the story.
> 
> Third chapters are usually the hardest for me, so things... SHOULD go a bit faster from here on out. I will do my best to make good and finish this. Just for being a fan of the Hollow, you deserve a completed (alternate) continuation fic series.
> 
> And ah... go chat me up about the Hollow on DeviantART, 'kay? I'm desperate to blab about this show and keep the ol' lamp of motivation burning. Same username. :)
> 
> -Cy


	4. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It's all been for real but_   
>  _None of it's real this way_   
>  _(We always wanted to feel the same)_   
>  _It's all been for real and_   
>  _None of it's real this way_   
>  _(We've been waiting in this digital dream)_
> 
> "Fragile Machine" by Every Hour Kills (this fic's unofficial official theme song)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, I write these chapters too long. That's why they take so long to come out. :U

**_Day 3_ **

\---

If Kai could say it without it coming off as an insult at this point, he'd admit that he found this whole situation to be kind of _awesome_. Sure it was weird, and a bit disturbing if he thought too deeply about it. But knowing that he was in space--- actual, legit outer space--- excited him so much he hadn't known what to do with himself after his shower that previous afternoon.

So, from then until evening, Kai had released his energy by pacing around their home floor and poking around the info kiosks for anything he could dig up on this place, what it was doing in space, and what he and his friends were doing here. So far, he hadn't had much luck.

The floor information, of course, hadn't changed. AARC level 57. Three hundred Engage rooms, with occupancy for three guests per room. There were the regular kitchens, bathrooms, and lounge areas found on every other floor, of course. "Patient Info" brought up a dead end.

" _This information is currently unavailable. We're sorry for the inconvenience_."

"Inconvenience" didn't even begin to describe it. No amount of "sorry" was going to fix that, and it did very little for Kai's limited _patience_. Who _were_ these patients, anyway? Neither he nor his friends appeared to be sick, and it had been days. Whatever; he'd find a way to hack that information out of the system later.

The AARC Helpline was a total flop. A phone rang, but no-one answered the call. But then, Kai didn't expect them to. This place was empty. _Dead_. And potentially, so were they! OK... maybe not. That theory was, at this point, even goofier than Adam's bonkers idea that they had all _magically_ switched from a basic program to a new, beautifully-rendered, fully-explorable space complex game that Kai _knew_ he would have remembered buying.

At least he'd figured out how the map system worked. The displays were divided by sectors. There were four sectors in total if that was what the number (2/4) at the corner of the screen indicated. He'd figured out that if he tapped that number, the map display would change to the next sector. A stupid system in Kai's opinion, but at least he now knew how to use the "Floor Map" feature.

They'd discussed their situation over a pile of fruit that evening. It was nothing they hadn't already talked about, but Adam (at the very least) had seemed more willing to accept the reality of their situation. At any rate he hadn't seemed to mind the taste of the synthetic food as much. Maybe he was just distracted--- but how was Kai supposed to know? Adam could be so tight-lipped about his thoughts it wasn't even funny.

Adam woke Kai and Mira up the next morning. He was in the middle of a rant about how they'd all gotten up later than he'd have liked. Kai begged to differ. If the first meal he ate in a day could still be considered "breakfast", it was too early for him. But Adam wanted an early start and Mira was a morning person--- no rest for the weary. Besides, they'd probably need his technical expertise.

Oh, the things a teenage genius had to do to get appreciated.

Kai took the lead up the stairs. Although they bypassed the eight floors they'd checked yesterday, there was still a long way to go, and the trek upward seemed to drag more with each rising step. The stairwell had an odd smell to it--- that funny metallic scent that was everywhere else, only stronger. There was also some sort of dingy, musty smell which suggested this place had some age to it. The thin layer of dust on the handrailing said as much.

Kai brushed his now-dusty hand onto his jeans as he stopped, breathless, at the top stair to level 66. "Great. We haven't even gotten started yet and I'm already exhausted," he panted, a hand on his heaving chest.

Mira patted his scrawny shoulder as she walked past. "You'll make it," she breathed.

A creaking groan from below startled all three teens, much louder than before. Adam tensed and clenched his fists. "That doesn't sound good," he said.

"No duh," said Kai. "We've gotta find out what's making those noises."

" _After_ we find the control room," said Adam. He opened the door and held it open for his friends.

"So, we just check the room list and go the next floor up, right?" Kai asked. He activated the screen.

"Right."

Before Kai had even picked the "Floor Info" selection, something told him that this was not the control room floor. It was still too low. They'd have to climb higher. _Much_ higher. Until the very top. But how could he _know_ that?

He didn't know why, but this place felt more and more familiar with each passing day. He had no memories of this place, but there were these... _thoughts_ he had about it. At first he thought they were just hunches. But he'd had so many of them--- most which he hadn't even mentioned to the others. Little things for the most part. Like how he had guessed the shower knob turned the opposite direction of his at home.

And there were the bigger things too. Like this whole _floor_ thing. Most of all were the feelings he'd been getting ever since they'd arrived. Something at the back of his mind nagged at him--- told him that he didn't want to come here in the first place. Well, put that way it seemed pretty obvious. _None_ of them wanted to be here, that much was for sure. But this feeling was different. He knew he didn't want to be here. But he also _felt_ he didn't want to be here. He didn't _need_ to be here in the first place. Coming here was a mistake. But not _his_ mistake. Someone else's.

And that idea didn't make sense to the front of Kai's mind. It was just something the back of his mind seemed to know. And well... none of those thoughts had been wrong yet.

How was he supposed to feel about that?

"Hey Adam, I have another hunch."

\---

Six flights of stairs later, Kai already regretted his suggestion. He didn't know why Adam had taken him at his word so readily, but Kai kind of wished the guy hadn't. His heart was pounding and his legs were burning. His lungs were working overtime to keep him breathing properly. He had fallen behind both Adam and Mira and he was falling further and further back with every new flight.

"I just crawled... _huff_... out of that pod... _huff_... three days ago. _Huff huff_... I'm too out of shape for all this... _huff huff_... straineous exercise!"

"Strenuous," Adam clipped.

"Whatever!"

"You'll be in shape before you know it," said Adam. "Especially if we have to keep using these stairs to get around."

Kai groaned. "Don't remind me!" Darned broken elevator.

"Adam, _please_ tell us we're looking for another elevator after this," sighed a tired-sounding Mira.

"Why didn't we do that in the _first_ place?" Kai added.

"Um, because you immediately ran to the stairs the moment Adam agreed to do this?"

"Oh... yeah." So he did. That was stupid of him.

"We'll look. I promise," said Adam.

When they reached the door of floor 75, Kai was thoroughly worn to the bone. Adam and Mira were already almost halfway up the next staircase by the time Kai rounded the corner. He plunked down on the bottom step and released an exhausted sigh. "Just... go on without me," he panted. "I'll catch up."

Mira barked a dubious laugh. "No you won't." She stepped down and sat a few steps higher than Kai.

Adam paused at the top of the staircase. "Come on, guys. There's still a long way to go."

"Exactly," moaned Kai. Adam was a force contrary to nature. He'd been on his feet ever since they'd gotten here. He had barely eaten _anything_ in the past three days. Where was he getting all this energy?

"You may as well stop too, Adam," said Mira. "We're not going anywhere."

Adam's voice turned terse. "We've _got_ to find that control room."

"And we will," said Mira. "But we've got _all day_ to do it. We have time to rest."

Adam stood silent for a moment. Then he muttered something under his breath and sat down. He released a reluctant sigh. "OK. Just a few minutes. Then we _finish_."

"Ugh." Kai turned around and glared up at Adam. "This isn't a _race_ or some kind of competition. We don't need to _immediately_ get everything over with. Just _relax_ , dude."

Adam's brow furrowed. "How am I supposed to _relax_ in a situation like this?" he asked.

"I dunno! Just... do it!" Well, _that_ sounded like intelligent advice.

Mira pursed her lips in thought. "Just stop thinking about it so much," she answered at last. "It's... helped for me." That sad look appeared in her eyes again.

Adam looked as if he was about to respond, but seemed to give up on it, opting to sit in frustrated silence instead.

"You'll find a way," said Mira. She hesitated. "You know, Adam... if it'll help, we could---" She was interrupted by those noises from below. Those unnerving metallic groans that made Kai more and more nervous each time he heard them.

He swallowed and let out a nervous chuckle. "Hey, I just wondered... What if those are... I dunno, the engines? I mean, if this is a ship it has to have propulsion and some way to drive it, right? _If_ this is a ship."

To Kai's surprise, Adam seemed on board with that theory. "The control room might have the answer," he said. "Maybe there's a full-complex schematic or something! That could help us in more ways than _one_..."

"We can hope," sighed Mira.

Kai had no thoughts or impressions to the contrary--- nor any to _confirm_ the idea. But that didn't matter--- he felt energized again. Just what sort of surprises and helpful tools did this control room have in store for them? He bounced to his feet, a far departure from the exhausted, annoyed mess he was a mere minute prior. Fine by him! "Let's go find out!"

\---

But alas! The return of the exhausted, annoyed mess was nigh, and he was back in full force by the time they reached the top--- floor 95. A loud, relieved sigh escaped Kai's chest. " _Finally!_ "

"Great. We made it," breathed Mira.

"Nowhere to go but _down_ now," said Kai. Adam propped the door open and waited for his friends to pass. Then he followed them, allowing the metal door to slam behind him. Kai activated the kiosk screen. "Even if it's not on _this_ floor we won't have to go as far."

"Here's hoping." Adam stood behind Kai and peered over his friend's shoulder.

Kai opened the room list. He gasped--- there. The very first room mentioned. "There it is!"

"Yes!" cheered Adam. He smacked Kai's shoulder, which startled the redhead _way_ more than it should've. "Good work, Kai."

Kai smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "Aw, it was just a hunch." He tapped out of the Info selection.

"A hunch that turned out to be correct," said Adam. "And not the first time, either. You _sure_ you don't remember anything about this place?"

"Yeah." Kai selected the map.

"Well, you seem to know more than either of us."

"I'm just _guessing_ , OK?" Not entirely true, but it was easier than to admit that Adam _might_ be onto something. Yeah, Mira had a moment the first day where she "guessed" the placement of the kitchen, much like many of Kai's "guesses." But as far as Kai knew, she hadn't had any other instances like that. Yet his were frequent. Kai had been right multiple times now--- four times in the sight of his friends. _Who knew what else he could be right about?_

The control room wasn't far, to Kai's great relief. "It's right here, in Sector 1." And after accessing the Sector 4 map, he exclaimed and tapped one point on screen. "And look! There's another elevator not far off!"

Mira's sigh could not have sounded any happier.

Adam sounded excited himself. "All right, guys. Let's find that control room!" He strode away in that direction.

"Amen," Mira agreed, following.

Kai huffed and sulked after them. Left behind, again. Great way to thank the poor, exhausted genius who had suggested this move in the first place. He was almost tempted to stay behind and rest a while longer before they realized they'd need his help in there. But the prospect of _There_ \--- the control room, with all its potential bells and whistles, lit Kai's fire once more.

That didn't stop him from dragging behind his friends from tiredness alone. Especially Adam, who had to be running on sheer determination at this point. Seriously, how was he so energetic after climbing all those stairs? What was he, a robot?

...No. Definitely not. Kai actually _understood_ robots. He was pretty sure he'd know one if he saw one.

It wasn't long before Kai noticed how different this floor's layout was compared to the others. There were fewer doors, for one thing. It was surprising that there were any pod rooms on this floor at all, considering how many offices there were. And, like everywhere else in this place, they were all empty. Kai made a mental note to check out those offices if he got the chance. He could see personal items on the desks. Those could be a clue, couldn't they?

_A clue to what? I dunno, don't ask me. Why we're here? No... how would looking at people's stuff say anything about us? We're nobodies._

Well, _he_ was, anyway.

Adam and Mira halted before one door. A relieved smile flitted onto Adam's face. "This is it."

Kai jogged over to join them. Sure enough, a plate on the door read "control center."

Adam tried the door. To his obvious surprise, the door was unlocked and opened without a hitch. "Huh. You'd think they'd _lock_ a room like this..."

"Let's just be glad they didn't," said Mira. She pushed the door further and stepped inside.

As Kai entered behind her, his jaw dropped. It was as if they'd just stepped onto a sci-fi set. Various work stations with various functions. Consoles, buttons, switches, holosynaptic interfaces, monitors, holoprojectors! All the technology he'd ever dreamed of, all in this one little room! "Guys... I think I'm in heaven!" He continued to step forward, looking around in awe.

"Pretty sure this isn't what heaven's supposed to look like," said Adam.

"Well, it's heaven to me," said Kai. He began to toy with one of the holoprojectors, an apparatus consisting of one wide cylinder on the roof and another on the floor below it. Four control panels circled the machine. Using one of those control panels, Kai was able to access a screen which showed a library of stuff he could display. "Isn't this holoprojector cool?" He made the sterile blue AARC logo appear as a rotating 3D object.

Mira joined him by the projector. " _Definitely_ cool, Kai," she said.

Kai grinned. "I've wanted to play with one of these since I was nine. I can't wait to see what this baby can do!" He scrolled through the library for any other holograms of interest, successfully activating a rotating globe, some butterflies, a creepy bust, and a gargoyle, among other random things. The entire libary seemed to be a bunch of stuff that had nothing to do with this place, save the logo.

Just as Kai was wistfully admiring a delicious-looking floating waffle cone, Mira spoke up. "Oo! Can you make it show a dog?"

Kai laughed. "Why?"

"Because I _like them_ ," said Mira, in that _no duh_ tone that Kai had learned to take seriously.

Well, Kai wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to amuse the girl (who was, for once, giving him her undivided attention---whoopee!), so he diligently scrolled through the library until he found one labeled "labrador." The animal appeared. Short yellow fur, soft brown eyes, and a lolling pink tongue greeted the teens.

Mira was impressed. "Wow. It's so _lifelike_." She reached out to touch it, but her hand phased right through. "That is _so weird_. But _so cool_."

Kai grinned. "I know!"

But, as usual, Adam had to be a party pooper. "Come on, guys. We don't need to get distracted."

" _Ugh_." Mira turned and gave Adam a gentle glare, though it was obvious she wasn't truly angry with him. "Come _on_ , Adam. Let us have some _fun_ for a few minutes."

"You guys can mess with that _after_ we find some answers. It sure doesn't look like _that_ has anything useful to say." He nodded to Kai. "Hey Kai. Think you can get us into these computers?"

Kai cracked his knuckles and sauntered over to where Adam stood. "Sure thing, cap'n." He sat down in front of the nearest computer console and powered on the machine. After it came on, Kai immediately tried to figure out how to access data through this unfamiliar operating system. After opening a prompt and attempting a few commands, he managed to access a menu similar to those on the kiosks. It did not disappoint. While a few categories were recycled from the kiosks, a host of new folders also appeared.

"More categories! Sweet." Kai selected the "AARC Info" folder. A second menu activated--- only this one was empty. Kai frowned.

"There's nothing there," stated Mira. "But it's got its own folder. Surely there should be _something_ there."

"Obviously there's _supposed_ to be," said Kai. He tapped a few keys to refresh the menu, but nothing changed. The menu remained as empty as before. "Someone must have wiped it for some reason." He backed out and tried "Patient Info." Again--- an empty menu presented itself. "Ugh. Well that explains why the _kiosks_ can't find that information," Kai said, half to himself. He proceeded to check each option on the main menu regardless of potential usefulness, just to see if similar wiped menus existed.

The Floor Info and Floor Map, much like on the kiosks, were intact, but unhelpful. The Complex Map required an interface with the holoprojector--- he'd have to try that later. The AI System details were intact and functional, as they'd already discovered yesterday--- so again, that was unhelpful. Finally, he checked the Engage System details.

"Looks like a monitoring system for those pods," said Kai. The details appeared as a list. The individual pods were sorted into groups of three--- one group per room. The rooms were divided by floor. Each group of pods appeared in either green or red lettering--- maybe activity or inactivity? No wait... there were also red "X" icons beside each group. Kai hovered over one "X". A notification appeared:

**ERROR**

Kai clicked on the red "X" and a box of text appeared on the screen.

**ERROR**   
**_This Engage device has encountered an unknown error. Please send a technician to diagnose and resolve this problem as soon as possible._ **

"Technician," Mira whispered to herself. "Hey Kai... didn't that note in your manual say something about finding a technician too? 'Contact a technician if harm has come to you through an interface,' or something like that?"

Kai gasped. "Oh!" He smacked his hands down on the console and whipped around to face his friends. "That must be what it meant by 'interface'! It _had_ to be talking about the pods!"

Mira seemed as thrilled by the revelation as Kai. Adam, on the other hand, didn't look pleased with this at all. He clasped his chin in thought, his eyes somewhat glazed. If anything, he was probably mulling over the disturbing implications of what he _knew_ this had to mean.

"See, Adam? This _proves_ we're in real life! Not in a game!"

Adam hesitated. "...Maybe."

Kai scoffed. " _Maybe?_ Come on, dude! It's so obvious!"

"No, Kai. It's _not_."

"Sure, if you can't see past the end of your nose!"

"I'm not _oblivious_ , OK?" Adam threw out his arms. "I just want to get all the details before jumping to that big a conclusion."

"Really? Seems like you've come to a conclusion to me. A _stupid_ one."

"I'm willing to change my mind." Adam sighed and softened his tone. "I just can't shake the feeling there's something _wrong_ here."

"The computer's been tampered with. Of _course_ there's something wrong here." Kai turned back around to face the screen. "I'm gonna see if I can recover that data. So long as nothing's written over I _might_ be able to salvage it."

"How long will that take?"

Kai shrugged. "Dunno. I don't know how much was _lost_ so there's no way to tell."

"Get started on it," said Adam. "Mira and I can start exploring the lower levels. That is... if you're OK with being left here by yourself."

"I'll be fine," said Kai. He patted the console. "Like I said, I'm in heaven!"

"All right," said Adam. "See you later." He turned and headed out the door, Mira close behind.

She paused on her way out and poked back into the control room. "Kai."

"Yeah?"

"If you need anything, just give us a shout. I'm sure you can find a way into the intercom system."

"I said I'll be fine," Kai reassured her. He sent her a smile and a double thumbs-up.

Mira nodded. "Good luck." She popped out the door to join Adam, off to explore more of this strange complex. Kai accessed the command prompt and got to work. He hoped to not only find the missing data--- but to, perhaps, uncover a clue as to how it had been lost in the first place. He needed to restore as much as possible. If they wanted answers, he _had_ to succeed.

So while his friends searched for clues below, Kai searched for clues above, hoping to recover the answers they needed. Hoping that his friends would discover something helpful too. Hoping that together, they could come out with a solid reason for being here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely happier with the outcome of this chapter than the last one. Doing it from Kai's POV gave me a fresh perspective. After all, there's only so much I can make Adam angsting about whether they're in a game or not interesting each time I bring it up.
> 
> This chapter took a lot longer than expected. I was having a problem with a lack of motivation for several weeks, which really bogged down my progress. But once I decided to bulldoze through it, things got a lot easier. And whaddaya know, I started having fun again! :)
> 
> So, no hiatus after all. However I do want to spend some time on Infection's third chapter because that story is calling my name. I have completed the outline and I'm rearing to get some of that good stuff out. Go read it if you haven't. It may hold you over until Chapter 5 comes out. :)
> 
> -Cy


	5. Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Have I descended to depths beyond your reach?_   
>  _Am I the lowest of the low, or do you see yourself in me?_
> 
>  
> 
> "Beyond Reach" by DIRE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally here with a new chapter! Boy, this one is a doozy. It is lengthy so I hope you all have some time on your hands. As usual, thanks for the kudos! This story is doing really well and I'm glad people are enjoying it, as slow-paced as it is.
> 
> PLEASE shout out your theories and ideas about what's going on. I love stuff like that. And since this story's conclusion is still up in the air, I may need a little idea fodder to bring a satisfying end to this continuity.

Adam.

There he was again, running off like he had someplace to be. He hadn't, of course--- according to the theory, the way back home was in the control room. But that wasn't going to stop him from striding forward as if he _did_ have some place to be. It was just one of those things that made Adam who he was--- and Mira had come to like that about him. She could appreciate his mask of confidence, regardless of how sure of himself he truly felt.

"You're in a hurry."

Adam slowed down and allowed her to catch up with him. "Is there some reason I _shouldn't_ be?"

Mira jogged to her friend's side and began to walk with him. "No, not _necessarily_. But there's no reason to _be_ in a hurry, either."

Adam shrugged, still not looking at Mira. "I just want to get us home sooner. That's all."

He was distracted by something, that was for sure. Ever since they'd emerged from those pods, Adam had been antsy. He walked fast. He had lost his cool a couple of times. He acted as if he was trapped in a cage with a creature that was going to find and kill him. To be fair, they were trapped in a cage of sorts. But as far as Mira could tell, this place was abandoned. There was nothing to hide from, no ticking clock. No wall of corruption devouring everything in its path. There was no danger to be found here, despite how _weird_ this place was.

Maybe Adam was telling the truth. Maybe all he wanted to do was get them home as soon as possible. Mira wanted this as well--- _nobody_ wanted to see home again more than Mira did. She'd set aside a day to hang out with her two best friends. She'd never planned to suddenly appear in space a million miles from Earth. Like Adam, she wanted to get home as soon as possible. But if she knew Adam (and she liked to think she did), she concluded that there was something else on his mind. Something else besides mere determination.

"I know where you're coming from. I think _all_ of us want to get home _sooner_ rather than later."

"Except Kai," said Adam. He pointed one thumb over his shoulder. "He seemed pretty happy back there."

"Well, he's... _Kai_." Mira smiled. "The _rest_ of us would like to get home soon."

Adam puffed a quiet laugh. He smiled at Mira. "Guess that leaves just you and me."

"Yep! Just us normal people." Mira's heart fluttered a little. She scolded herself and reminded herself--- _again_ \--- of the platonic nature of their relationship. She'd been doing so well. She'd thought this pointless crush was done. But ever since Adam had knelt beside her yesterday, while senseless tears poured from her eyes--- ever since he'd set his kind hand on her shoulder and told her he understood her fears--- her hormones had betrayed her again.

So much for getting over it.

Mira cleared her throat and reasserted her logical mind. She was trapped in outer space in some complex she knew very little about. Now was definitely _not_ the time to go head-over-heels for a guy who was _clearly_ not interested. _Let it go, Mira. Not gonna happen_.

"Speaking of Kai... he's been weirding me out lately," Adam confessed. "You don't just... _guess_ the things he guesses and get it right that many times."

"Could be coincidence," Mira suggested. "But this place... _does_ seem familiar. Maybe we _have_ been here before. Maybe Kai's subconsciously remembering things that neither of us can recall." Well, outside of that one time she'd found the kitchen--- but for all she knew, that could have been a fluke. She'd had a sensible thought process for her decision and could explain it if asked. Kai didn't seem to have that.

Adam shook his head. "Pretty sure I've never been to space," he muttered. "And _I_ sure don't recognize this place. Sure. He could be remembering something we've somehow _all_ forgotten. Or it could be something _else_... something we know nothing about. It _unnerves_ me."

Mira put one hand in her pocket. "We'll get to the bottom of this. Just try not to think about it too much and you'll feel better," she said. Her eyes flitted across his face. "Besides... Kai's not the one I'm worried about."

Adam tensed. He set his gaze firmly at front. "I'm fine," he said. "I'm just trying to stay focused."

"You're not acting _focused_ , you're acting _distracted_ ," Mira pointed out. "You're restless, you're irritable, you're jumpy... I don't think you've eaten much the whole time we've been here... Adam. Are you _sure_ you're OK?"

" _Yes_ ," Adam emphasized, brow furrowed. "I'm just _stressed out_ from all of this. We've been _stuck_ here for _three_ days and we _still_ don't have an explanation for _what_ this place is or _how_ we got here. Much less how we're gonna get out!"

_Typical Adam._

Mira stepped in front of her friend, her brow pinched. He stopped in his tracks. "Look, Adam. I _know_. You're worried and you're stressed out." She held out a hand. "But are you _OK?_ "

Adam stood in silence for a moment. Then he sighed in frustration. "Yes. I'm fine. And if there's anything besides the worry and the stress, I've... my stomach's felt weird ever since we got here. And the food here only makes me feel _weirder_. Hard to have much of an appetite on that combination _alone_. Not to mention how the _stress_ makes me feel."

"I can imagine," murmured Mira. "So... that's it?"

"Yeah." One side of his mouth smiled. "Don't worry."

Mira didn't buy it--- not entirely, anyway. But it was a better explanation than none. Mira sighed, at last willing to drop the issue. "OK."

Adam seemed to relax. His shoulders loosened and he no longer seemed quite so annoyed. He patted Mira's shoulder as he rounded past her and moved ahead. "C'mon. We're almost to the elevator."

Mira touched her shoulder, caught a bit off guard. She followed close behind, fighting back those _silly thoughts_ with a healthy dose of logic.

They soon found the long-sought second elevator, much to the relief of both teens. Mira jogged to the door and pressed the down button, hoping this one would work. But nothing happened--- no light, no sound, and _definitely_ no open door. She huffed and pressed the button again out of sheer annoyance. "Looks like quick, easy transportation is out of the picture," she grumbled.

Adam was silent. Mira turned to see that he'd become tense again, brow knit and arms folded firmly against his chest. He muttered... _something_. Then he met Mira's eyes. "Guess it's back to the stairs." He opened the staircase door and motioned for Mira to enter first.

Mira sighed. "Lovely."

Once they began their descent, Mira popped a question. "So, Adam. What were you muttering a minute ago?"

Adam shrugged. "I was just thinking out loud. Neither of the elevators work, even though _everything else_ does. I just find it suspicious."

"Not on its own," said Mira, thoughtful. "But with the computer situation... yeah. Now that I think about it, it _is_ kind of suspicious."

Adam pointed an approving finger. "Exactly," he confirmed. "If Kai's right about all that data being wiped, maybe whoever did _that_ broke the elevators too."

Now that was a scary theory. It wasn't even that far-fetched, especially considering it was coming from _Guys-I-Think-We're-In-Another-Game_ Adam. "But... Why?"

Adam scuffed the concrete step with his shoe. "That's just one _more_ question we can't answer," he muttered.

\---

The logical, unspoken place to begin the downstairs investigation was the level just below their home floor--- floor 56. To neither teen's surprise, it wasn't unlike floor 57. When the kiosk indicated nothing different, they moved down to the next floor. Floor 55 was the same, as was 54 below it. But when they tried to access floor 53's initial info kiosk, something was notably off.

Mira tapped the screen for the third time. She pulled away with a sigh, hands up in surrender. "It's no use, Adam."

Adam tapped it a couple of times himself to be certain. It remained dark. "That's OK. We can use the next one over," he said, undeterred.

But while Adam may have been willing to overlook a broken kiosk, Mira could not do the same. It tripped off that alarm system in her head that told her when something was wrong. It was the same feeling she'd gotten when they'd discovered that first broken elevator. Then again when they'd found the wiped computer files and the second elevator. And now _this_.

"Weird that that's the only broken kiosk we've found," said Mira.

Adam shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal," he said. "There's a _lot_ of those things here. There was bound to be a broken one _somewhere_." He opened a passing door and took a quick peek inside.

"You're... probably right." But after all of this deliberately broken stuff they'd come across, Mira couldn't be too sure about that. _What is wrong with me?_ Mira lamented, half-joking. Maybe she was just a bit paranoid herself. She silenced the mental alarm with a laugh.

But it did not stay silent for long. A single light above the next kiosk station flickered. For some reason, it gave Mira the creeps. Maybe it was just like the kiosk. Just one of many; an unfortunate malfunction that would appear eventually. It was mere coincidence that both errors had occurred on the same floor, just a short walk from one another. Mira told herself to chill out--- it was fine. She was just paranoid. Maybe this place was messing with her head...

Adam shook his head once. "It's exactly the same as all the others," he announced, tapping back to the main menu. "Let's keep going."

"What about that flickering light?"

Adam raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Maybe there are others on this floor," Mira said. _Crap_ , she sounded nervous.

Adam sighed. "Mira..."

"I know." She couldn't stand that worried look he was giving her. "Not a big deal. I'm just... _paranoid_ , I guess."

"Hey. It's _OK_ if it bothers you. Y'know, you can tell me if you're not---"

Mira cut him off. "No! Really. It's not a big deal. Let's keep going." She went on ahead of him.

Adam joined her. His thumbs were in his pockets and he still had that look on his face. Mira expected him to say something else, but he remained (thankfully) silent. She was grateful for his concern, but she hated to make cause for it in the first place. He had enough to worry about--- she didn't want to accidentally add herself to his growing list of concerns. Although now it was too late--- she was already on the list. No thanks to that breakdown yesterday. Adam's senses would be on high alert for any sign of another.

_Nice going, Mira. Nice going._

The next couple of floors were similar to 53--- one or two flickering lights within eyeshot. Lights which only intensified Mira's unease. Adam noted her discomfort. The gears in that head of his were turning, and she had to assume he was thinking about her. Pondering her behavior. Waiting for her to do or say something else out of the ordinary.

He still had that look--- that pinch in his brow; that little frown he'd get when he'd see her shooting a wary glance at the flickering lights. At one point she'd smiled to reassure him that she was fine, but that only seemed to convince him that the opposite was true. But who could blame the guy for being worried? She was freaking out about _lights_ , for goodness' sake. Since when did she see every little thing as untrustworthy? It was one thing if she was merely _unsure_ about this. It was quite another when one or two flickering lights and a broken kiosk sent her mind into overdrive.

Mira had been criticizing Adam for his perpetual paranoia. But maybe it took one paranoid teen to recognize another. Her behavior was irrational and she knew it. This type of thinking was unwarranted.

Or so she'd thought. But once they reached floor 50, Mira felt that her paranoia had been justified after all.

Adam's eyebrows shot upward. Mira let out a shuddery sigh, at once relieved and unnerved. Relieved that her worries had been vindicated. Unnerved at that very fact. "OK. Something is _definitely_ wrong here."

Adam exhaled through pursed lips. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Every light--- _every single one in sight_ \--- was either flickering or out entirely. And the further down the hall she looked, the worse the flickering seemed to get. Mira swallowed the sudden pang of anxiety which rose up in her throat. "We should see how far it goes," she said.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Agreed." He began to walk down the hallway. When Mira hesitated--- _Gah! Why wouldn't her feet move?!_ \--- Adam paused and gave her _that look_ again. "Mira? Is something wrong?"

Mira shook her head. "No. I'm OK." She managed to force herself to move forward, as wary as she was about the flickering corridor. She scolded herself. _Stop it, Mira. There's no reason to be scared_. The kind smile Adam gave her helped a little, and... his general close proximity made her feel a bit better. But why did she feel this way to begin with?

Kai was right. Maybe there _was_ something about this place.

The pair made their way through the ever-darkening hallway. As Mira looked around, she noticed that the lights weren't the only thing off about this level. Some of the corridor beams seemed out of place--- and she knew this wasn't her imagination. She'd seen enough of those beams over the past few days to notice. Mira could see loose bolts and cracked, detached coverings, revealing the metal structure beneath.

Adam opened another door and took a look inside. He gasped. "Mira! Come see this." He beckoned for her. _Is there somebody in there?_ Mira wondered. She joined him, curiosity piqued. Her heart sank (or maybe it jumped into her throat... she couldn't tell) when she saw what Adam saw.

An entire section of wall had come down and crushed one of the pods. Mira slapped one hand over her mouth. "Was that... _please_ tell me it wasn't..."

Adam stepped inside. "I don't know," he said. Mira followed him, craning her neck to see if anyone was still inside the damaged pod. "The other two are empty and I don't... _smell_ anything..." He strode over to the pod and peered down at it. He gave Mira a questioning look--- _Should I do it?_ he seemed to ask. Mira nodded once. She _had_ to know.

Adam faced the pod. Mira heard him draw a deep, hesitant breath. Then he reached down--- slowly--- and shifted some debris aside from atop the head area. Mira edged closer as he worked, curious despite how much she _didn't_ want to see a corpse. After he'd cleared enough, Adam reached down into the mess he couldn't move and felt around, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Anything?" Mira asked in a hushed voice.

Adam shook his head and removed his hand from the rubble. "I'm pretty sure it's empty."

Mira sighed in relief. The last thing they needed was to find a dead body in this already-creepy situation.

"What _happened_ down here?" Adam asked the exposed piping in the wall.

"Maybe it's like Kai said before," Mira suggested. "Maybe there _was_ a disaster. And everyone _might_ have been evacuated."

"But not us," Adam rumbled. He strode past Mira, heading for the door.

Mira followed. "But... why? Why would they just _leave_ us here? Why just us three?"

Adam didn't answer. Mira couldn't blame him. How could he answer such a question? The implications of that suggestion were... potentially unsettling. Mira was unsettled enough for the both of them--- they didn't need any more.

Adam shut the door behind and they continued down the corridor, which continued to grow darker and darker the further they ventured. The boy opened a few other doors along the way and checked inside, only to be disappointed when they inevitably turned out to be empty.

"I don't think we'll find anyone in those rooms," Mira told him as he edged toward yet another door.

Adam shrugged slightly and reached down for the knob. "Just checking," he muttered. He turned the knob, but it balked. He jostled it a couple of times again. It refused to budge. He let go and stared back down at it, a perplexed quirk in his brow. "It's _locked_."

Mira folded her arms, intrigued. " _That's_ another first," she commented. Adam pressed his ear against the door. "Should we try to open it?"

Adam backed away with a sharp sigh. "Maybe later," he said. "Not that it'll help get us anywhere closer to home." He paced away from Mira, fists balled at his sides. "I'm starting to think we'll _never_ get back."

The mask had shattered. "Sure we will!" Mira insisted. "Just yesterday _you_ were the one telling _me_ we'd get home. You sounded pretty sure of yourself then."

"I don't know _what_ I'm sure of," Adam muttered. He halted and spun to face Mira. "You wanted the truth? OK. Here's the truth." He began to approach his friend. "When we got here, I was sure that _this_ was a hologame and _home_ was the real world. But the longer I've been here, the more _real_ everything here seems. _Home_ is starting to feel like... like what _you_ said, a dream. But there's still so much off about this place that I..." He stopped in front of Mira and sighed. "The truth is... I don't know what's _real_ anymore."

 _He was scared too_. Suddenly, Mira no longer felt so out-of-place.

"This place is _really_ starting to look like the real deal. But... where were we before we came here? If we were all living in some _computer_ until now, why aren't our families and schoolmates here? Were all those people we knew just... computer programs? Cause they _sure_ were real to me. And to you, and to Kai." He let out a shaky breath. "We need answers. But we've been over _half_ this complex, whatever it is--- and we _still_ can't find any. It's like they're hiding behind doors that just..." he kicked the locked door, "... _don't want to be opened!_ " He leaned his forehead against the wall.

He was even more stressed than she had thought. _Poor guy_. "Calm down." Mira set her hand on his shoulder. "We'll find something. Kai knows computers inside and out. If there are answers, he'll find them."

Adam's shoulders slumped. "Even if he does, there's no guarantee we'll like what we get. Or even know what to do with them."

Mira bit her lip. "Look. None of us know what's going to happen. But who does? In _any_ situation?" Adam shifted against the wall to lean on his shoulder. His sad brown eyes met Mira's again. His features, though softened, still held some residual stoniness. "You don't know what to do, and neither do I," Mira continued. "But I _do_ know _worrying_ about it isn't going to help. All we can do is wait it out. Until then, we'll have to make the best of this." She squeezed his shoulder. "And it does _none_ of us any good when you're stressing yourself _sick_ about things you can't control."

Adam thought about her words. At long last, he sighed. "You're right. Thanks." He smiled softly. "I needed that."

Mira returned his smile. "Glad I could help." She gave him a final pat of encouragement and let go.

Adam shrugged. "I'll try. No guarantees," he said. There was some laughter in his words--- a good sign.

There was a brief silence as Adam and Mira simply stood there, facing one another. _OK... Awkward... what do I say?_ "So... should we..."

The intercom crackled to life and almost scared Mira out of her skin.

"Helloooo, Adam and Mira! Wherever you guys are. I figured out the intercom!"

In that moment, Mira wanted nothing more than to reach through the intercom speaker and slap Kai for almost giving her a heart attack. Unfortunately, that would require breaking the laws of physics--- something which neither Mira nor Adam had the ability to do. At least he'd broken the awkward silence.

"So, I found some stuff," Kai continued. "Not much, but it's something. I don't know how far down you guys are, but... let's just meet back at floor 57 and I'll tell you everything. See ya in a few minutes!" The system cut back to its former silence.

Adam folded his arms, an amused smile gracing his lips. "At least we know the _intercom_ works on this floor," he remarked. "Kai's gonna have a hard time when he figures out the other elevator doesn't work."

Mira laughed in response. "Oh, without a doubt." Even in the dark, that smile he gave her was infectious.

"I hope he'll find something we can use to _fix_ the elevators. I'd hate to keep using those stairs." He gestured for Mira to follow and headed back down the way they'd come. "C'mon. We can wait for him in the kitchen. I think I'm finally kinda hungry."

\---

Once inside the kitchen, Adam and Mira got set preparing a selection of food for everyone. Mira wasn't sure whether to call it "dinner" or not, since it was barely past 4:30 if the AI could be believed. But it had been a high-activity day, and both Mira and Adam were ready for a solid meal after their rushed breakfast that morning. Kai would be hungry too, so they set enough fruit and vegetables on the table for three.

Mira found a couple of bowls and set them on the center island. Both she and Adam took time to find foods they hadn't tried yet--- pears, peaches, grapes, and strawberries, to name a few--- as well as the staple apples and bananas. The grapes and larger fruits ended up in one bowl, while the strawberries had their own separate bowl. A smaller bowl of peanuts and pistachios ended up in the mix as well--- and the nuts were quite good. Mira continued to be amazed by how accurate these replications were, in both appearance and taste. She'd had no idea technology like this existed. Of course, there was a lot about this place that she had no idea about.

After roughly ten minutes of light conversation between the two friends, Kai stumbled in through the kitchen doorway, breathing heavily. Pure betrayal marked his face as he approached his friends. "No... way. I had to walk _all_ the way back down those stairs. Then I had to walk _all_ the way down here to find you guys... and you're both eating _without_ me." He scoffed, offended, and dragged the big bowl of strawberries to himself.

Adam shrugged. "Hey. It's not our fault none of the elevators work."

"No..." Kai angrily bit into a strawberry. "But you still decided to eat without me." He paused and examined the bitten berry. "Hey... if these are made entirely of the same material, shouldn't we be able to eat the cores and stems too?" He didn't want for an answer. He gulped down the other half of the strawberry, leaf included.

Mira quirked an eyebrow, mildly disgusted. "Sure, but... why would you _want_ to?"

Kai's brow furrowed. "Because I can." He popped an entire strawberry into his mouth. "An' it dun't tase bad ah' all."

"Yeah... I think I'll pass," Adam declined, peeling a banana.

"So, Kai. What did you find up there?" asked Mira. She'd been curious ever since he'd made his announcement. Now she would finally hear what he had to say. Had he found a way home? Had he found any answer at all to their situation?

Sadly, Kai shrugged in defeat. "Nothin' much," he confessed. "I tried getting into the database and I actually _almost_ recovered some data. Except..." He sighed in exasperation and twirled a strawberry between his fingers. "Every time I'd try to access something, I'd get a response of just... a big, long string of the letter 'V'. I tried a couple methods of working around it after I dug up a manual from one of those offices. But I just kept getting a bunch of 'V's!" He proceeded to vent his renewed frustration by downing the strawberries at twice his initial speed.

"V?" Mira twisted her fingers through her hair. How curious. "For 'virus', maybe?"

"Ahh... maybe," Kai admitted. "It would explain a lot. If the entire AARC is run by one system, it would make sense to infect the main computer if you wanted to sabotage this place." He shrugged.

" _Sabotage?_ " Adam nearly choked on his banana. "What makes you say it's sabotage?"

"I never said it was sabotage," Kai said around a mouthful of berry. He swallowed. "I'm just saying it _might_ be. I mean, everything is messed up. Except for us, I guess. And things are _selectively_ missing. It looks like it _could_ be sabotage. It doesn't look like an accident." He fixed bright blue eyes on Adam and Mira, his grim frown now replaced with a hopeful smile. "So, what did _you_ guys find?"

"Nothing good," answered Adam. "Things were broken, things were falling apart. Tech wasn't working. The electricity was flaky... And things got worse the further down we went. I'm sure if we'd gone down further we would have found floors that were completely blacked out."

Kai's brow pinched. "Huh. Could be why there were so many errors on those pods," he speculated. "Or why the elevators don't work." He ate another strawberry.

"Not to mention it's _kind of_ creepy down there," said Mira. "We even thought we'd found a dead body at one point... thank goodness there wasn't one."

" _Yeegh_." Kai repressed a shudder. "Yeah, I think I'll stick to the control room. You guys can _have_ the spooky lower levels."

"Come on, Kai. Don't you have a sense of adventure?" Adam teased.

Kai polished off the last strawberry. "I don't like dark, creepy places," he insisted. "There could be ghosts... or spiders... or aliens with an appetite for human flesh!" He wiggled his fingers spider-style. Then, with bravado, he snatched a pear from the center bowl. He dug into it almost as quickly as he'd devoured the strawberries, with little concern for the juice which subsequently dribbled down his chin.

Mira smirked at her messy friend. "Speaking of appetites," she teased.

Kai shrugged and chewed somewhat slower. "What did you expect? I've climbed up an' down a hundred flights of stairs today, _and_ used a _ton_ of brain power, on just a banana and an apple." He swallowed. "Man, I'm sick of eating fruit all the time. I would give _anything_ for a decent cheeseburger right now. Or my mom's meatloaf. Or _anything_ made with meat."

"I know how you feel," said Mira. She picked up a peach. "But this is all we've got, so this is what we'll have to eat."

Kai took a disdainful bite of his pear. "It's not just the flavor. I was never meant for a vegan diet. I need protein, Mira, and _bad!_ "

" _Badly_ ," Adam corrected him.

Kai smirked. "See? Adam agrees with me."

Adam snorted. "Shut up and eat your pear," he affectionately chided his friend. He pointed at the bowl of nuts. "You _do_ know that _peanuts_ have protein in them, right?"

The redhead snorted. "Not the same."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then, as Kai finished his pear, he piped up again. "Heeey. Think I can get one of these food generators to start pumping out cheeseburgers?"

Mira laughed. "You're welcome to try."

After another pause, Adam let out a long sigh. "So, I... guess we're gonna be here a while." His tone was quiet and serious.

Mira's stomach twisted. "Looks that way." It sounded like he was giving up. Or maybe he had resigned himself to the situation. Just for the moment, Mira hoped. She couldn't imagine he'd stay settled for long.

"I'll find what I can to get us out faster, I promise," said Kai. "But... yeah. Unless I can dig up something useful soon, we're stuck." He frowned and stared down at his restless hands, dejected. "Sorry I couldn't be a better help."

"You did your best," Adam reassured him. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

Kai smiled, though he looked somewhat sad. "I'll try not to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong, the witch is dead! I was WAY late on this chapter. I intended to have it up for late May and I was almost done at that point. Then I realized there was a lot of stuff I needed to fix before this chapter ever saw the light of day. NOT FUN! But it's here now. And it's the longest so far at a whopping 4,800 words! (Well, 4,797 but it's so close, man.)
> 
> Don't be surprised if it's a long time before my next update (though I suppose everyone's used to the long time between updates by now). Just a heads up, I have a lot of thinking to do regarding Chapter 6. I might jump back on Infection for a while. See if I can get that up to five chapters as well. :)
> 
> -Cy


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